Physical stomach pain during fasting

fasting
pain
(Derek I. Batting) #1

Greetings,

I’ve done a few 16/8 fasts and they have been relatively easy (also, thanks to you awesome people for the information and incentive), but today, I’m going for a 24 hour fast or better and I’ve noticed that my stomach is physically hurting. It’s that kind of pain where your stomach is collapsing in on itself and there’s nothing in it. I’m drinking water and tea to the point of being near waterlogged but not over-stuffing myself.

What can I do about this? Are there stretches that might move things around a bit in there to offer some relief? Has anyone else experienced this? I never hear anyone else talk about the physical sensation of their empty stomach except being hungry.

Thanks!

#2

I get something similar, maybe not to the same degree, but what I use is club soda and/or mineral water plain and sometimes with Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) and it clears up for me. I prefer Pellegrino, but club soda is often much cheaper and is pretty close in its effectiveness for me.

#3

Interesting, I don’t experience pain until many days in (like more than 2 weeks). Are you experiencing acid reflux type sensation?

(Derek I. Batting) #4

Nope. Everything’s great except for the occasional pain. It comes and goes (as I would expect), but when it hits, man… it’s powerful.

(Craig D'Andrea) #5

Maybe try drinking warm or even hot water in less amounts at a time. As opposed to chugging cold water which can upset your stomach. I’ve also heard drinking too much water can irritate the stomach. Hope this helps!

(Matthew) #6

Hi Derek,

What ever became of this recurring problem?

I also experience stomach pains when fasting + keto, and today they were so severe that I literally fainted at work and took an ambulance ride to the hospital. I’ve never fainted in my 31 years of life and I generally tolerate pain quite well (broken bones, etc. have never really startled me).

The problem subsided temporarily while laying on my back immobile but came back with a vengeance after leaving the hospital (still fasted) and fainted again at a Pho restaurant.

It wasn’t until I broke my fast with a Sprite (not diet) and chicken noodle soup that the issue fully resolved, and 6 hours later am feeling like it didn’t even happen.

I really enjoy keto + IF when I’m not experiencing the stomach pain, but I need to find an alternative if this is going to be a recurring problem.

Has your issue persisted? Have you found any effective remedies?

Thanks,
Matt

(Jay) #7

Stomach pain has been a on and off recurring problem during my daily 18:6 IF since the beginning of 2019. It usually happens towards the end of the the fast right around between the 16 to 18 hours mark.

Like @landeezy, I have experience passing out as a result of the pain. In that particular incident, I was stupid enough to break my fast with a cup of hot-n-sour stop as appetizer before lunch (yeah, I was craving for Chinese food!). I was eating alone in the restaurant and the waiter had to come wake me as I put on head on the table. The pain went away right after I woke up.

I have done longer IF (22 hours) for many days without any problem. So this occasional pain-at-the-end-of-the-fast really bother me.

Sipping on hot water/tea definitely helps! Stop drinking alcohol the night before also helps. ACV does not help.

I am fully aware the pain comes from added acidity that irritates my stomach and intestine. I wish I know more about the root cause for why the acid bother my stomach some day but not the other day.

(Bunny) #8

Not enough saliva is most likely the root cause, the more saliva you have irrigating from the salivary glands and into the esophagus and stomach is what completes the process of digestion and creates the equilibrium needed to balance out the stomachs PH.

#1 problem is eating and swallowing too fast instead chewing and savoring your food and not allowing enough saliva to mix with food to start amylase breakdown of complex carbohydrates.

People sure can make a lot of saliva when making love to each other like kissing which creates natural antibodies, neurotransmitters and a plethora of cellular and chemical interactions but not when they eat because they eat too fast. Make love to your food?

Digestion begins as soon as you put food in your mouth and is the extension of the stomach. Don’t let the distance of the salivary glands to the stomach fool you, your mouth is part of your stomach.

(Jay) #9

One hack I have been doing is sipping hot water with a pinch of salt. Seems to do the trick whenever I am starting to feel the hint of cramp coming.

(Ferhan) #10

I’m also doing ketogenic fasting and having the same strange problem with stomach pain and shortness of breath. I hope I’m not doing it wrong.